Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-19


The Sevcnty.Five Per Cent standard.
To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
In the very interesting discussion or the 'new"
civil service rules which has been going for some
time, no notice has been taken In editorial nor In
communication OF one point which certainly is more
than shadow. The compulsory attendance upon
examinations by no means the worst feature OF the
''new rules" nor is It the one that the faithful
clerks need fear the most. Ii is a standard, ele-
waited for the time, above all the requirements Of
the service, that will work the greatest hardshlps
According 70 the rules the applicant for promotion
is expected, upon examination TO make at least as
per cent In order TO be placed among the eigfbeS.
Failing in this, six months is allowed for ''cram-
ming, and then the applicant Is again examined
Failure this time meansdismissal. He must obtain
the coveted 75 per cent or be dropped from the
rolls. is this not too much 20 ask. especially from
those who have not had that experience I'm eN-
aminationS which gives the one questioned the
power to grasp the meaning OF the questioner at
sight? Then, too, IL must oe remembered that
the boards OF examiners who are TO frame the
questions have not had the experience that Will
enable them to ask quest onS to find out what a
man knows and not what he does not though the
drift seems at present TO be in the latter direction
But il is the standard that We are speaking OF.
No better criterion can be had by which 70 Judge
it than that furnished by our colleges. At
cornell the scale is j, which is the highest mark,
or perfect; between and ), honorable; between
3.5 and 4, creditable; between and 3D., a pass.
This reduced to a scale or Loo shows that with a
per centage OF 90 man is permitted TO retain his
standing In the university. Eighty per cent %
over In one-th1rd OF the whole number OF hours OF
study required In his course or 20 per cent in two
thirds, permits him to be graduated. Harvard
has recently adopted system OF marking SOME
what like that now followed at Cornell The fol-
lowing letters are employed: A, above 90; B. 1S TO
80; c, 90 to rs; d. 40 10 TO; E, failure. Here man
retains his standing tf he makes 40 per cent or
over. Other colleges could be mentioned in which
a man Is thought to be lifted for higher work even
though he may have a lower percentage. Few, Al
any, require over 60 per cent. AT Illinois College
no student who reaches a term mark OF 30 per ceht
QOr recitaJ1Ons and work done during the Jerm) IL
required to take the final examination. Thisis be-
ing tried I'm other colleges also, and gives entire
satisfaction to students and professors. In the
colleges, then, man must reach a standard rang
ing from 40 to 60 per cent In his old work In order
that he may be lifted Tor the new work or the next
term. In the Departments II he does not come up
to the standard OF IS per cent he is thought 10 be
UNIT to do the work that he has done well for per-
haps twenty years In college with SO per cent, q
man would graduate with honor; in the Depart
mentS he barely holds his place. Comment is un-
necessary. A little thought should convince our
civil-servtce examiners that they cannot maintain
a standard OF 40 per cent. COILEGIAS.